Green and Clean Products

Have you ever heard of essential oils? These are often used in aromatherapy because they capture the essence (scent) of different plants. Some oils like thyme, lemongrass and cinnamon have recently received buzz for their antibacterial qualities.

A few months back, I was treated to a sample of a non-alcohol antibacterial hand wipe, and the active ingredient was thyme oil. It was nice, but I didn't think I needed to buy something special since I usually just wash my hands unless there isn't water readily available (camping, etc.).

Still, I was excited to learn that there was a plant-based and natural way to disinfect starting to hit shelves. I've never felt like I had a good system for cleaning my kitchen sink. After putting things down the garbage disposal (including raw meat trimmings) and hand washings, it just never seems very clean. Since I know that everything I use to clean sinks and bathrooms with with ends up going down the drain and into the water supply, I was hesitant to try bleach or other commercial sprays.

Imagine my delight when I was shopping at Target today and found a thyme oil based antibacterial cleaner from Method! I even had a coupon! So far, I am sold on it. I even used it on some of my son's toys. A few things to note:

1. There is a distinct herbal smell to the product, but after a few minutes I was used to it. It even made me hungry!
2. Carefully read the directions so that you let the area/object air dry after spraying; there is no need to wipe. If you spray and wipe immediately, it will not have time to kill the germs.
3. Cold season is coming soon, so this will be a blessing. It kills 99.9% of common household germs including flu, rhinovirus, e. coli and staph on hard, non-porous surfaces. And the smell might even open up a stuffy nose!